The first American autonomous ground vehicles are fighting in Ukraine

A US autonomous vehicle company has deployed more than 100 self-driving ATVs in Ukraine for nine months, marking what it claims is the largest deployment of autonomous ground vehicles in combat by any US defense tech company. The vehicles, powered by gas and capable of carrying significantly more cargo than Ukrainian-built alternatives, have completed thousands of missions including supply transport and casualty evacuations since arriving in October. Ukrainian soldiers currently control the vehicles remotely rather than using full autonomy, because the vehicles cannot yet independently identify enemy forces and respond appropriately to combat threats. The deployment is helping the company and its competitors develop autonomous systems that combine self-driving car algorithms with generative AI to handle the unpredictable conditions of warfare.